Head lice— home remedies debunked
FOR children, summer equates to vacation and more playtime with their pals. Parents, however, see summer as a time to be extra cautious of their child getting infected with head lice as it tends to produce rapidly during this season.
Ever since kuto or head lice existed, there have been hearsays on how to eliminate these tiny blood-sucking parasites. Passed on from generation to generation, these methods have not been proven effective yet parents continually hold on to them. Nit-picking comb isn’t a nitpicker at all Today, TheManilaTimes, with the help of lice - tested home remedies remain ineffective, if not extremely hazardous.
Head lice and mayonnaise do not mix.
Mayonnaise may be delicious as it sounds until spread all over you’re a child’s hair. This method is told to be effective in suffocating head lice, which in the end, eradicates them.
Head lice can survive up to 6 hours in suffocation and it basically means parents have to leave the mayo spread on their kid’s hair for a long time. This tedious way, however, do not kill head lice and nits. Thus, solving your kid’s head lice infestation using mayonnaise can be counterproductive as nits can become adult after a few days and head lice infestation can reoccur.
Probably the most horrendous hearsay of killing head lice is to soak a child’s hair with kerosene. This home remedy is one of the oldest methods, however, experts warn parents in using this method.
The fumes dissipated by kerosene can easily ignite burn a kid’s hair. Plus, the chemical can be too harmful to their health.
Kerosene is unsafe for your kid. Nit-picking comb isn’t a nitpicker at all.
Each typical Filipino household has had at least one nit-picker comb, an emergency kit whenever someone in the house is infected with head lice. It can actually be helpful in getting rid of adult head lice but lice eggs are exempted.
An adult lice produces up to 100 eggs and using a nitpicking comb to eradicate lice can be endless. Hundreds of these nits can turn into adults in a matter of days and will cause kids the same inconvenience, not to mention the sting that a nit-picking comb brings to their scalp.
Head lice infestation has become ordinary among Filipino households and parents are taking act on it through alternatives.
However, this can actually be treated in a proper way: by consulting a specialist and using effective head lice treatment shampoo.